Peter cooper hewitt



(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. c. HEWITT. APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS. No. 581,206. Patented Apr.20, 1897.

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WITNESSES: /NVENTO/i (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. C. HEWITT. APPARATUS FOR AERATING LIQUIDS. No. 581,206. Patented Apr.20, 1897.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

PETER COOPER HEWITT, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR AE RATING LIQUIDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0, 581,206, dated April20, 1897. Application filed January 23,1895. Serial No. 536,850. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER COOPER HEWITT, of New York city, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus forAerating Liquids, of which the following is a'full,clear, and exactdescription.

My invention is applicable to aerating waters, beer, and other liquids.

In the manufacture of beer by some methods the carbonic acid in the beeris extracted and it becomes necessary to replace the gas thus taken out.

The object of my invention is to thoroughly aerate the beer while it isin the form of a highly-attenuated film.

My invention consists in a centrifugal machine of peculiar constructionadapted to reduce the liquid to the form of an extremely thin film, thecentrifugal machine being operated in a closed vessel suitable for therequired pressure.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side sectional elevation of my improved film-aerator. Fig.2 is a side sectional elevation of a modified form, and Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section of a modification of the machine shown inFig. 2.

The closed vessel 1, which contains the bowl 2 of the centrifugalmachine, is provided at the bottom thereof with a combined stuffing-boxand journal-box 3, through which passes the upper end of the shaft 4,the lower end of which is journaled in the step 5, ar'- ranged below thebottom of the closed vessel. The shaft 4 is provided with a pulley 6 forreceiving the belt 7, by which the machine is driven.

The bowl 2, carried by the shaft 4, is provided with a lower portion 8,which is of spheroidal form, and in the center of which is placed thestarting-cup 9 for receiving the beer introduced into the machinethrough the nozzle 10, inserted in the top of the vessel 1. The bowl 2,which is formed integrally with or attached to the spheroidal portion 8,is in the form of a funnel or inverted hollow cone.

In the vessel 1 is supported a hood 11, the circular wall of which isdeveloped on a cycloidal curve. The said hood extends from the twodisks.

a point above and inside of the rim of the bowl 2 outwardly anddownwardly. In the upper portion of the containing vessel 1 is inserteda gas-supply tube 12, and with the bottom of the containing vessel 1 isconnected a beer-discharge pipe 13.

For convenience in operation the containing vessel 1 is supported uponlegs 14. The shaft 4 being in rapid motion the bowl2 is rotated withsufficient velocity to discharge the beer from the starter 9, so that itwill be received upon the conical walls of the bowl and be spread outupon the walls in an extremely thin film, the tenuity of which increasesas the beer approaches the top of the bowl. The beer and the gas areboth under pressure, and the discharge-pipe 13 is controlled by asuitable valve, so that a certain volume of beer remains in the bottomof the vessel 1. The pressure which the gas is to retain after the beeris bottled or barreled is maintained in the receiving vessel 1, and thebeeris thus made to receive the gas under that pressure, which isgenerally about fifteen pounds to the square inch.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the receiving vessel 1 is arrangedin practically the same way as that already described, and the shaft 4carries a bowl 2, containing a receiving-cup 9, as described in the caseof Fig. 1, but the bowl 2 is made shallower, and with its upper edge isconnected a corrugated disk 15, which lies in a horizontal plane, and acorrugated disk 16 of a corresponding form is supported above and aboutparallel with the disk 15 by straps 17, attached to the disk and to thebowl, leaving a thin space between The corrugations of the disk may bemade V-shaped, as shown.

In the top of the containing vessel 1 is inserted a nozzle 10' for theintroduction of beer, a pipe 12 for the introduction of carbonic gas,and a discharge-pipe 13" for conveying away the beer. WVhen the shaft 4is rotating rapidly and beer is introduced into the receptacle 1 throughthe nozzle 10, the

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gal force through the gas contained by the space between the disks andis received by I the next conical surface of the disk 15, which carriesit up and delivers it in the manner described to the seconddownwardly-inclined surface of the disk 16, and so on until. it reachesthe last of the inclined surfaces of the corrugated disk 16, down whichthe beer flows and from which it is discharged against the wall of thevessel 1, when it finds its level by its own gravity. The beer is thusreduced to a very thin film on the rotating surfaces, and at the sametime the carbonic acid contained by the receiving vessel is carriedbetween the rotating disks by centrifugal force and is broughtthoroughly into contact with the beer-film, so that the beer isthoroughly impregnated with carbonic acid.

111 the modification shown in Fig. 3 the shaft 1 is journaled at itslower end in the bedplate 5 and extends upward through a gland 3inserted in the plate 11, supported by standards 11- attached to thebed-plate The shaft revolves in the packing contained by the gland andis prevented from touching the metal portions of the gland by theflaring or tapering of the hole through the gland on either side of thepacking, and the bearing of the lower end of the shaft is loose in thebed-plate 5 To the upper end of the shaft 1- is secured the centrifugalbowl 2 which is made of two parts 15 16 formed with collars 17 17leaving intermediate annular channels 19 19 The upper portion 16 of thecentrifugal bowl is screwed into the lower portion and is provided witha central aperture forming, in connection with the lower portion, a bowlwhich receives the beer or other liquid, and the collars 17 of the upperportion of the bowl project downward into the annular spaces 19 betweenthe collars 1T The wall of the central aperture of the upper part 10 isinclined so that the lower portion of the opening is larger in diameterthan the upper portion of the opening. In the lower part of the bowl thecentral opening is enlarged, and apertures lead outwardly to the spacesbetween the collars 1717 so that liquid discharged into the centralopening by the pipe 10 of the bowl is thrown outwardly into the spacesbetween the collars and is reduced by centrifugal force to a thin film011 the collars and overflows alternately from the upper and lowercollars, finally being discharged at the periphery of the bowl againstthe wall of the casing 1 The liquid in its passage through the spacesbetween the collars passes through the gas, which is also carriedthrough the spaces by centrifugal force.

By interposing one or more barriers in the path of the liquid thrownoutwardly by contrifugal force in the manner described the liquid ismade to exert pressure against the barrier in proportion to the amountof contrifugal force exerted on the liquid, so that the liquid spreadsitself over the surface of thebarrier. The amount of pressure exerted bythe liquid on the barrier depends on the angle formed by the barrierwith the plane of rotation and the centrifugal force. The more nearlythe angle of the barrier approaches ninety degrees the greater will bethe pressure exerted by theliquid against the barrier, and consequentlythe thinner will be the film of liquid formed.

The casing 1 is clamped to the bed-plate 11 and the pipe 10 enters thecasing through a gland. The gas-supply pipe 12 enters the casing 1through the plate 141- and extends upwardly through the body of beercontained by the casing, and the discharge-pipe 13 is inserted in. theplate 14: near the wall of the casing 1 A portion of the first collar ofthe series in the lower part of the bowl is inclined toward the centerof the bowl. In the second and third collars are formed semicirculargrooves near the upper edges thereof, and the outer surface of thecollar at the upper edge is cut away, forming a beveled or roundedsurface, as shown.

To secure a complete aeration of the liquid where it is found necessaryto carry on the operation of aeration under a pressure considerably inexcess of that at which the liquid is to remain after the process iscompleted, the liquid is carried to a storage-reservoir through apressure-reducer, which allows the gas to expand in the reservoir,whence it is taken back to be used again in aeration, while the liquidis retained in the storage-reservoir at the required reduced pressure.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In an apparatus for aerating liquids, a centrifugalfilm-former provided with a series of surfaces increasing in area fromthe center of motion outwardly, and arranged at an angle with the planeof rotation, forming barriers for causing the spread of the liquid, afeed device for delivering the liquid to the inner side of the innermostsurface, a gastight chamber iuclosing the film-former, and means forsupplying gas to said chamber, substantially as specified.

2. In an apparatus for aerating liquids, a centrifugal bowl acting as afilm-former provided with a series of surfaces arranged at an angle withthe plane of rotation, means for feeding the liquid from the center ofthe bowl outwardly to the inner side of said surfaces, a gas-tightchamber inelosing the centrifugal film-former and means for supplying tosaid chamber, substantially as specitied.

3. In combination with a gas-tight chamber and means for supplying gasthereto, a centrifugal film-former inclosed within said chamber andcomprising a series of surfaces surrounding one another and arranged todischarge the liquid from one to the other of the series, and astarting-cup located at the center of the series and having its bottomin approximately the same plane with the bottoms series, and astarting-cup located at the cenof said surfaces, substantially asdescribed. ter of the series and arranged to discharge 1o 4. Incombination Withagas-tight chamber, the liquid on the innermost surface,substanand means for supplying gas thereto, a centially as described.

5 trifugal film-former inclosed Within said PETER COOPER HEWITT.

chamber and comprising a series of surfaces Witnesses: 1 surrounding oneanother and arranged to dis- 0. SEDGWIOK, charge the liquid from one tothe other of the GEO. M. HOPKINS.

